Look and touch at interactive exhibits

Some museums embrace kid-friendly programs

Some museums embrace kid-friendly programs

February 21, 2006|KAREN RIVERS Tribune Staff Writer

Some area art museums are jumping on the bandwagon to add interactive elements for children to their exhibits; others might not be taking down their "Do Not Touch" signs any time soon. "From Goodnight Moon to Art Dog" is the current exhibit at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts. The Michigan show explores one family of author-illustrators and their work. As kids wander through, they can play dress-up, listen to a story and hop inside a car shaped like a paintbrush. "If we grown-ups are being honest with ourselves, thinking back to our childhoods ..., we know how hard it is for kids to look but not touch," public relations and marketing coordinator Paul Stermer says. True, this is an unusually kid-centric show for KIA. However, the museum also has a permanent children's gallery. That space features interactive elements and an exhibit tailored to reflect what's showing in the rest of the museum. The South Bend Regional Museum of Art also is working to add more hands-on elements for kids. At a recent show that explored the theme of flora, there was a space set aside for kids to make their own silk flower arrangements. In addition, SBRMA is developing kid-friendly hand-outs. A scavenger hunt is also on the horizon. In addition to the interactive concept, there are a number of other ways that museums woo kids. Some of those popular with almost every local museum: art classes for children in preschool on up. Special tours where kids meet a real artist and make their own art. Exhibits featuring students' work. At the Krasl Art Center in St. Joseph, kids can learn everything from boat-building to rope-making. On SBRMA school tours, kids are taught how to look at the basic elements of art, instead of just wondering, "What's that a picture of?" In March, the Midwest Museum of American Art in Elkhart will present its yearly exhibit of students' work, which typically attracts 500 people to the opening. By appealing to kids, museums want to spark their imaginations and broaden their knowledge. They also want to plant a seed. "We want these kids to be supportive of the arts when they're older and when they're taxpayers (here or wherever)," Krasl executive director Donna Metz says. "The way to do this is to show a child that museums are accessible."